The Pain of a Sailor
by CrypticMoonFang
Summary: Serena is hiding a secret... No one but herself knows what it is. Can the Sailor Scouts help her overcome her pain? Can they even figure out what the secret is?
1. Chapter 1

-Chapter 1-

"SERENA! SERENA!!! _SERENA!!!_"

Serena woke to Luna calling her name. "…Huh?..."

"You were having a nightmare, Serena." Luna replied.

She remembered the dream she'd just had. This was the fifth one this week. Every one was the same situation... She tucked her head in between her legs and started to cry. Again.

"Ugh... Serena, it'd be nice to know what you're so worked up over. Why won't you tell me?" Luna asked in her British accent.

"I... I really don't want to talk about it..." she answered quietly.

"You never want to talk about anything anymore. I'm worried..."

"Don't be..."

"I can't help it! When your friend is sitting in her bed crying and won't tell you what she's crying about, you can't help but be worried."

Serena, however, just kept crying.

'Agh! She's just going to end up crying herself to sleep again!' Luna thought. She hadn't told anyone about Serena's excessive crying. This was solely because she didn't know why she was crying in the first place.

The next morning, Serena woke up to a beautiful dawn. But, for the first time ever, the beauty hadn't phased her one little bit. She looked out the window and tears welled up in her eyes once more. Today was the day she'd do it.

DING-DONG!

Darien went to his door only to find Serena there, her bangs overshadowing her eyes. "Hey, Serena! Hey... Is something wrong? You look like something's on your mind."

"Yeah... I have something important to talk to you about..."

"Why are you so quiet? What's going on? Is something bothering you?"

Serena spent about twenty minutes in Darien's apartment. When she left, she was crying again.

_BBBRRRIIINNNGGG!!!_

Rei picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello. It's Darien. Did you and Serena have another fight?"

"No, not recently. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Serena just broke up with me and I figured it was because you might have said something to her that involved me."

"Sorry, but the truth is, I haven't seen Serena in days... Last time I saw her, she was her usual, bubbly, cheerful self. And- Wait... You didn't call me first, did you?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"So you called me to blame Serena's breaking up with you on me?!" Rei screeched.

"Well, uh... That's-" Darien heard a click over the phone. "Hello?" No reply. "Hello?!" Still no reply. He sighed. It seems he'd just killed two birds with one stone... First Serena, now Rei... Who was next?

Serena walked slowly back to her place. Ever since the last time she saw Rei and the others, she knew she didn't deserve the right to be with Darien. She sighed a heavy, almost mournful sigh. Ever since that last time... Ever since then... She'd agonized over what happened. She hadn't even gone to school. 'Why?' she thought to herself. She'd felt slimy and filthy ever since then and still felt the exact same way. Would she feel this way for the rest of her life?!

Amy and Lita were at the arcade getting milkshakes. Amy was almost _always_ studying for something, so it was nice to get the rare chance to hang out with her every once in a while. Soon Mina came in, too.

"Hey, Mina! Over here!" they shouted to her.

"Hey, guys! Cool to see you two here!" Mina responded.

"Ditto!" Lita said.

"Um, not to ruin the mood or anything, but have you by chance..." Mina hesitated.

"Hm?" Amy inquired.

"...Seen Serena? She usually _always_ comes here with me. But... I haven't seen her lately..." Mina finished.

All three of the girls looked out the glass doors of the arcade. A single blonde, long-haired girl with what looked like meatballs on her head walked past.

"Serena?" Mina said.

All three dashed out the door, as they hadn't seen their trusted friend in quite some time.

"Hey, girl, we haven't seen ya in awhile!" Lita excaimed.

"Yeah! We didn't know what happened! You had us worried there for a bit!" Amy agreed.

"You wanna hang out with us at the arcade? Ya know, Andrew's working there today!" Mina cheered.

"No thanks... I've got alot of homework to do... Sorry..." Serena replied. Then she ran off.

"Serena doing her homework instead of going to the arcade? Something must be terribly wrong..." Artemis stated sarcasticly.

The little group dispersed. Although they weren't disheartened, they were a little sad because they knew something was wrong. At least one of them needed to find out what Serena was so depressed about. And if she didn't tell any of them; if they couldn't get her to spill the beans; then... then what? What could they do if she wouldn't tell anyone?


	2. Chapter 2

-Chapter 2-

Mina rounded one single corner, then saw Luna running as fast as her little cat legs could take her.

BAM!

Plowed into poor lil' ol' Mina. That's what Luna did.

"Luna!" Mina said as she wiped dirt off her skirt.

"Mina! I have an important favor to ask you. Kind of like an errand. Will you do it?" was Luna's reply.

"Depends on what we're talking about here..." she answered.

"Well, don't get the idea it's anything _bad_. I just wanted you to sleep over at Serena's house tonight."

"Why?"

"Well, something's seriously bothering her, but I'm not sure what it is."

"Why not just ask her?"

"She won't tell me. All she says is, 'I don't want to talk about it.'"

"Why won't she say?"

"I wish I knew..."

"So you want me to go over there to see if she'll tell me what's on her mind."

"_Exactly_! And maybe you could help her get over it if she does tell you."

"When you said 'bother', does it mean anger, frustration, anxiety? What'd ya mean?"

"Poor thing's sad all the time... Every night she cries, and she always wakes up to nightmares about something," Luna answered.

"What are the nightmares about?" Mina questioned.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. Sometimes she mumbles things in her sleep, but I can't seem to make heads or tails of what she's saying. I just can't understand."

"I once read in a book that when someone mutters in their sleep, they're actually yelling or screaming in their dream."

"Then I guess we'll have to find out what she's screaming about..."

"Yeah, but I also read that unless they tell you, you've got about a 3% chance of finding out what their dream was or what they said in their dream."

"_Thank_ you, Mina..." Luna said, becoming more and more disheartened every time Mina spoke.

"Well, I guess there's no choice then! I'll _have_ to sleep over at her house tonight!" Mina suddenly excaimed.

"That's the spirit!" Luna cheered her on, hoping she wouldn't turn back on their deal. "Oh, and if it's not too much to ask, please don't tell the others just yet."

"Why not? They're our friends. And her friends, too."

"Because there's obviously _some_ reason Serena's not telling anyone about whatever's bothering her."

"That's a good point... I'm kind of wondering just how hard it'll be to make her spill the beans..."

"Mina, I'm positive it won't be _too_ hard. I mean, Serena's a klutz and a ditz. There are many ways we could get it out of her. What if we tricked her into telling us? Or we could sweet-talk her into telling us. You're welcome to borrow my claws if you need to beat it out of her. I mean this is _Serena_ we're talking about!"

A huge sweat drop appeared on Mina's head and she said, "Erm... Luna? That's kinda akward to do to a friend. Epecially when you're just trying to find out a secret."

"W-W-Well, i-it's not like I've been _thinking_ about how to get her to talk or anything! Hahaha! How outrageous!"

"It was _really_ detailed."

"I-I-I... uh-hum, I-I just... ah... was...it's not... w-well... eh-hehehe... ANYWAYS!!! Moving on! Do you have anymore questions? No? Good!" she said hastily and trotted off, beckoning Mina to follow.

**That night...**

"Thanks for letting me sleep over at your place, Serena!" Mina gratefully said to her friend.

"Yeah, sure... No problem..." Serena quietly answered.

"Is something wrong? You're awefully quiet."

"No... Nothing's wrong..." she quietly but hastily answered.

"Are you sure? You can tell me anything, you know."

"Yeah, I'm sure..."

"Hey."

"Hm...?"

"Goodnight, Serena."

"Okay... Goodnight..."

**Later that night...**

_"'Kay! Bye Rei! Bye Lita! Bye Mina! Bye Amy!" Serena said._

_"Bye-bye Serena! See ya around!" all the other girls said back._

_"You, too!" Serena said as she walked off._

_Serena walked and came across a beautiful flowerbed. It was tucked against a wall and on top of the wall, which was about as high as a step, there was a lovely row of large bushes. They were so orderly and neatly planted and trimmed and everything. _

_"Well, aren't you the most pampered bushes in the world!" she smiled. She stopped to observe the proud scene. It looked as though the bushes were saying to her, "Here we are! Look at us! We're so pretty and neat! We've even got little flowers on us! And look below! See the elegant vines growing ever upward? With their own little flowers, too? Those vines are our friends!"_

'There's what Luna must've meant! Serena's talking in her sleep again!' Mina thought. She got closer to try to hear what Serena was mumbling about. Useless... 'Gah! I can't understand anything she's saying!'

"You see what I mean? You can't understand, can you? She's going to wake up screaming, as usual. Unless one of us wakes her up before then, that is."

"Luna! You suprised me!" Mina whispered.

"AAAAHHHHHH!!!" Serena woke up, screaming. Just as Luna said.

"Serena! What's the matter? Did you have a nightmare? I know I hate those things!" Mina pretended to have not known about Serena's 'nightly problems'.

"No... I mean, yes... It was just a nightmare..." Serena replied. A tear ran down her cheek, with more tears yet to come.

"Are you sure it was _just_ a nightmare? Are _postitive_ it wasn't something _more_?" Mina questioned.

Tear time for Serena...

"Please, Serena! Tell us what's bothering you!" Luna pleaded.

"I don't feel like talking about it..."

"You're going to have to let it out sometime... I hear it's not healthy to keep your problems locked up inside you."

Serena remembered her dream: _"No... No! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"_

She shivered at the mere thought of it. What a horrible way to wake up...

"What was your nightmare about?"

"Not exactly something I want to remember..."

"That bad?"

Tears, tears, tears. They just came and came.

"Serena?" Mina asked as she comforted Serena.

"Hm?" she sobbed back.

"Are you... maybe it isn't such a great idea to ask at this time, but... are you... afraid? Of something?"

Serena was trembling now, but she still refused to answer Mina's questions.

"Y-You are! What are you scared of? It's okay. You can tell me. I won't tell anyone without your OK first. Promise." Mina encouraged her.

_~*~_

A/N:  
Well, there you have it! Or at least... some of it... XD sry! Anyway, don't give me ideas unless i ask for them. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^.~ (that's my own patented signture!) Will Serena answer Mina's question? Or will she keep her secret to herself? Just like she's been doing ever since the last time she saw Rei? What exactly is Serena's secret? Will she ever get over it? Does Darien tie into all this? If so, how? Why does Serena feel dirty? And why is Mina so intent on knowing the secret? Is Serena the only one who knows her secret? Or is her secret shared by someone else as well? What happened on the day Serena last saw Rei? Was is something good? (probably not...) Was it something bad? (most likely) What is Serena afraid of? Why doesn't Serena tell anyone about her secret? Why does she keep it to herself? Shouldn't this story be in the Mystery genre? Are any of these questions swimming around in your head? Will you read the rest of the story? Will you know what happens next? Are you eager to find out what happens next? Do you want to know what Serena's secret is? Do you want me to stop asking so many questions? (most likely) K. I'll stop. But seriously, if you wanna know, and if any of the listed questions are swimming around in your head, your solution is easy! Simply read the rest of the story! XD man! on't ya just luv A/Ns? Oh, crap! That was a question! My bad! lolz! See you in the next chapter! Or not... *does a cute evil laugh*


	3. Chapter 3

-Chapter 3-

**Previously, meaning in Chapter 2,**

"Mina! I have an important favor to ask you. Kind of like an errand. Will you do it?" was Luna's reply.

* * *

"Well, I guess there's no choice then! I'll _have_ to sleep over at her house tonight!" Mina suddenly excaimed.

"That's the spirit!" Luna cheered her on, hoping she wouldn't turn back on their deal. "Oh, and if it's not too much to ask, please don't tell the others just yet."

"Why not? They're our friends. And her friends, too."

"Because there's obviously _some_ reason Serena's not telling anyone about whatever's bothering her."

* * *

**That night...**

"Thanks for letting me sleep over at your place, Serena!" Mina gratefully said to her friend.

* * *

'There's what Luna must've meant! Serena's talking in her sleep again!' Mina thought. She got closer to try to hear what Serena was mumbling about. Useless... 'Gah! I can't understand anything she's saying!'

* * *

"Are you sure it was _just_ a nightmare? Are _postitive_ it wasn't something _more_?" Mina questioned.

* * *

Serena remembered her dream: _"No... No! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"_

* * *

"Are you... maybe it isn't such a great idea to ask at this time, but... are you... afraid? Of something?"

Serena was trembling now, but she still refused to answer Mina's questions.

"Y-You are! What are you scared of? It's okay. You can tell me. I won't tell anyone without your OK first. Promise." Mina encouraged her.

* * *

**Now, the continuation...**

"I-I'm not scared... Of anything..." Serena quietly replied.

"What are you scared of?" Mina repeated.

"N-N-Nothing..."

"What are you scared of?"

"I'm not..."

"What are you scared of?"

"...Scared of anything..."

"What are you scared of, Serena? I won't stop asking until you tell me!"

"YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND MY PAIN EVEN IF I TOLD YOU!!!" she screamed.

_THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP_

"What's wrong?! I heard screaming!" Serena's mother worridly said.

"Yes, Serena. What's the matter?" Mina agreed.

"Nothing, Mom..."

"Are you sure, honey? Oh! I get it, now! You two were just playing a sleepover game! Agh! Should've known! Did I interrupt anything?" her mother replied.

"No, Mom..." Serena had already returned to her quiet-like state.

"Well, can I get you anything? I made cookies just the other day! I'm actually suprised they lasted this long!"

"No, Mom, we're fine..."

"Okay, okay! I can take a hint! I'll just leave you two to your slumber party. But just try to lower the decibels, okay, Serena? Keep it down so Sammy and the rest of us can go to sleep. It's pretty late, you know!"

"Okay, Mom..."

Serena's mother walked out of the room, thinking of how cool of a mom Serena must think she was.

"Serena... You just turned down who-knows-how-many cookies..." Mina noted.

"Something _must_ be wrong!" Luna added.

Serena stormed out of her room.

"You know, I think you might have gotten through to her," Luna commented.

"You just _had_ to put in your two cents, didn't you?" Mina glared at Luna for some time before going to look for Serena.

Serena wasn't very hard to find, mostly because she wasn't trying to hide. Instead, she was in the kitchen, rumaging around for something. A bit later, she found what she was looking for: a single sewing needle. She proceeded to prick herself with it. She did this lightly, but not light enough to not hurt herself. She'd taken a habit to doing this. She'd do it several times a day, but she'd never do it hard enough to penetrate her skin. But it wasn't for her health or anything; she just didn't want her family or her friends to know about it, being as it was just like cutting yourself. So she only did this lightly to prevent herself from getting a scar.

Mina, as soon as she realized what Serena was up to, rushed in and siezed the needle right out of Serena's hand. "What do you think you're doing?!" she whisper-yelled.

Serena didn't answer; she just looked down sadly.

"Have you no pride or dignity?!" Mina continued. "Don't you regret what you're doing, and as far as I can only guess, done?"

"Pride is the feeling a person gets when they're proud of something they've done... Dignity is a person's ability to stand up for what they believe is right and fair... Regret is a person's ability to look back on what they've done and wish they hadn't done it... Shame, however, is when a person feels as though they don't deserve the life they have based on what they've done..."

Mina's eyes softened. She tried to take her friend in her arms to hug her, but Serena pulled away. Mina frowned and said, "What's wrong, Serena?"

"If you mean the same thing you've been trying to find out all night, then it's better if you don't know... If you mean why I pulled away from your hug, then... Isn't it obvious? I don't deserve to have friends like you... I don't deserve Darien or Rei or Amy or Artemis or Luna or Lita or Andrew or you... Or anyone else but those as low nd dirty as I am... You guys don't deserve me, either... I-I'm such a disgrace..." she sobbed.

Not knowing how else to respond to her friend's comment, Mina said, "I-If you aren't careful, that statement might give someone the wrong idea, Serena."

"How do you know the idea it might give is wrong...?"

"I-I-I-Is that... I-Is that... The secret? The one you've kept from both Luna and me? And everyone else?"

"So what if it is...?"

"That's why... You were... Crying each night?"

"I repeat: So what if it is...?"

Mina ran into Serena's room, grabbed Luna, and dashed out the door. On the way to Rei's temple, she explained to Luna why she grabbed her, where they were going, and what they were going to do when they got there.


	4. Chapter 4

-Chapter 4-

Serena went out of her house to go for a walk. She hadn't been outside since she last saw Rei. Lost in thought, her feet took her to a proud scene. When her feet stopped walking, she found before her a flowerbed tucked against a wall. Vines elegantly clung to the step-high wall. On top of the wall, a neat and pampered row of bushes sat. 'I-It all started... Thtis place is where I... I... In this aweful place! Here... I-In this lone place... This horrid place is where... Where... Where... W-Where... It happened... I-It happened here! I hate this place! I hate it so much! I don't even want to be here! W-What if it happens again? What are the chances that... That it'll... Why'd I have to do that in the first place?! I can n-never... Ever... I can't forgive myself!!!' she thought. These thoughts made her cry. She dropped to her knees and put her face in her hands.

Lita was watching her from behind a lamp post. She was coming home when she happened to cross paths, apparently, with Serena. Although technically it couldn't be called 'crossing paths' if only one person knew the other person was there. Now, as to why Lita was up late, that was an easy question to answer. Lita had many relatives coming over for a family renunion. It wasn't right away, but there were alot of relatives and she only had about a week left to prepare.

Serena just sat there crying and occasionally blurting ou things like: "I don't wat to think about these things anymore!" or "Oh! This horrible horrible horrible place!!!" and even "I can't be here... I can't... stay here!"

Meanwhile, Lita was trying to figure out what Serena was talking about. It was incredibly hard to do because she wouldn't actually mention what was bothering her. So, Lita hid behind the lamp post and waited for her friend to literally 'say the word'. Once more, incredibly hard to do. Lita had always liked to be there when friends or family needed her. And it looked like Serena did need her. The only thing holding her back was the lone fact that she had absolutely no clue as to what was wrong with her.

Unknowing that Lita was right behind her, listening intently to every word she was saying, Serena stayed in her position, though she didn't really want to. The reason she stayed wasthat her feet wouldn't do what she told them to.

'This is outrageous! She's not going to say anything!' Lita thought. She decided to go up to Serena but before she could get to her, her phone rang. Good thing it was set on vibrate; Serena would've heard it if it wasn't. Lita ran around the corner before answering.

"Hello?" she said into her phone's little microphone.

"Lita! This is Mina. Have you seen Serena lately?"

"Yeah, I actually just saw her right before you called."

"Was she crying?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Because I know why she's crying. And trust me, it ain't a pretty secret."

"Why is she crying? What's the matter with her?"

Lita was shocked almost beyond belief when she heard Mina's reply. "T-That can't be true! Are you sure?!"

"I'm positive! She said so herself!"

"But that doesn't sound like our usual, cheerful, bubbly, naive, innocent little Serena that we've all come to know so well..."

"That's exactly what I thought, too! But you've got to believe me! It's the truth!"

"N-No! It can't be the truth! It's just not like Serena to go and do that kind of thing!"

"Stop denying it, Lita. We both know Serena's crying about something. Doesn't it make sense now?"

"Well, yeah... But that doesn't mean it's the truth! Serena's not like that!"

"Lita... I wish I were wrong! I swear! I really do... But some things, or people, can suprise you. That's just how life is..."

"But I'm telling you! It's not how Serena is!!!"

"I can't help it if you won't believe me, Lita..."

"Mina! Have some faith! What exactly did she say to you?"

"Well, she said, 'How do you know the idea it might give is wrong?' when I said that a previous statement of hers could give someone the wrong idea about the situation."

"Um, what was the previous statement?"

"It was: 'I don't deserve friends like you...' Uh, skipping ahead a little bit: 'I'm a disgrace to everyone... I don't deserve Darien or you or anyone else... I only deserve a friend as dirty and low as I am....' and that's basically what she said."

"But she never actually told you what she was bothered by, did she?"

"Well, uh... N-No. She didn't directly say it..."

"So then, maybe you've misunderstood!" Lita hopefully said.

"I-I might've... I'm not sure."

"Then there's still a chance that that isn't what Serena really meant! Maybe she didn't want to tell you, so she made up something so you'd stop asking her!"

"T-T-That could've been the case..."

"Still not covinced, huh?"

"No, not really."

"Well then, just think about it for a second. She told you something we both know Serena wouldn't ever even dream of doing, she was sad, so that means that if what you said is true, then why would she be sad about it even after she did it according to her own decision? Make sense now?"

"Well, when you put it that way, it does make alot of sense..." Mina pondered over what Lita had said to her.

"So you see? Perhaps Serena made up something just because she did't want you to know the truth!"

"Yeah. Yeah, that has to be it! I mean, what was I thinking?! Serena would never cheat on Darien! Especially not in that manner!"

"That's the spirit, Mina!"

"But then..."

"What'd you mean? But then what?"

"If she told me a lie that bad to cover up the truth..."

"Yeah...?"

"Wouldn't that mean the truth is worse than the lie?"

"W-Well... I-I don't know! Serena's never been this hard to figure out before, has she?"

"No, she hasn't... which could possibly mean that the secret is worse than we first thought..."

"So then, we're back to square one. And righ when we thought we were getting somewhere, too..." Mina said, disheartened.

"Don't lose hope! We'll find out what it is! Together!"

"Alright, but we're going to need a change of plans..." she trailed off, engulfed in thought.

"Okay, bye then, Mina!" Not that she was expecting an answer or anything. Although tomorrow, she'd be expecting a battle plan or something. Lita hung up. Back to Serena.

Serena was still there, though it was apparent tht she hadn't heard the conversation. Still crying, still talking.

"Hey, um... Serena, what's the matter?"

Serena hastened to turn around. "L-Lita! I didn't even know you were there..."

"Well, I was. I know something's wrong. What's on your mind?"

"Mina didn't tell you...?"

"She did, but I talked her out of it. Just from what she told me, I knew you were lying."

More tears streked down Serena's face. "I-I wasn't lying... It was... I-It w-was... The truth..."

"Y-you... Weren't... Lying?!"

"No..."

"So then... You really did cheat on Darien? A-And you broke up with him! Meaning there really is someone else?!"

Serena nodded in agreement.

"Then-WAIT!!! Then why are you crying? If it was your decision to make in the frist place!"

"Because... I... I-I'm impure! Soiled! A disgrace!"

_~*~_

A/N  
Well, there you go! More chapters are here, so you know the story can't be over just yet! How will Lita react to Serena's comment? Will she continue being Serena's friend? And where the heck is Darien?! (Don't worry! He's coming!) What's Mina's battle plan going to be? Are you confused? Can you tell if this is her real secret? Or is she just lying to cover up the truth? Please read and review! It means alot to me when you readers say you like my stories! Anyways, Sry to all you readers out there who've been telling me to hurry up with the chapters... ^.~ I've kinda gotten myself into a rut... XD I'm working on 4 stories (out of 6 total) right now (there might be more stories in time). All at the same time. :P Boy, what a horrible idea that was! But they'll eventuall be completed, so give me lots of time and I'll finish those stories! So, if you wanna know what happens next, read the next chapter! XD Anyway, plz read and review, blah blah blah, all that stuff that authors usually say, blah blah blah... See you in the next chapter! Or not...


	5. Chapter 5

-Chapter 5-

**Previously, meaning in Chapter 4,**

'I-It all started... Thtis place is where I... I... In this aweful place! Here... I-In this lone place... This horrid place is where... Where... Where... W-Where... It happened... I-It happened here! I hate this place! I hate it so much! I don't even want to be here! W-What if it happens again? What are the chances that... That it'll... Why'd I have to do that in the first place?! I can n-never... Ever... I can't forgive myself!!!' she thought.

* * *

She decided to go up to Serena but before she could get to her, her phone rang.

* * *

"Why is she crying? What's the matter with her?"

Lita was shocked almost beyond belief when she heard Mina's reply. "T-That can't be true! Are you sure?!"

"I'm positive! She said so herself!"

"But that doesn't sound like our usual, cheerful, bubbly, naive, innocent little Serena that we've all come to know so well..."

* * *

"Lita... I wish I were wrong! I swear! I really do... But some things, or people, can suprise you. That's just how life is..."

"But I'm telling you! It's not how Serena is!!!"

* * *

"So then, maybe you've misunderstood!" Lita hopefully said.

* * *

"But then..."

"What'd you mean? But then what?"

"If she told me a lie that bad to cover up the truth..."

"Yeah...?"

"Wouldn't that mean the truth is worse than the lie?"

* * *

"Hey, um... Serena, what's the matter?"

* * *

More tears streked down Serena's face. "I-I wasn't lying... It was... I-It w-was... The truth..."

* * *

"So then... You really did cheat on Darien? A-And you broke up with him! Meaning there really is someone else?!"

Serena nodded in agreement.

"Then-WAIT!!! Then why are you crying? If it was your decision to make in the frist place!"

"Because... I... I-I'm impure! Soiled! A disgrace!"

* * *

**Now, the continuation...**

"Serena?"

"Yes...?"

"Guess what?"

"Hm...?"

"You. Are. Lying."

"N-No... I'm not..."

"Yes, you are. You want to know how I know?"

Serena nodded.

"Well, one, because you just said you wanted to know how I know, and another thing is: You're way too sad. You wouldn't be this sad since it was your own decision. And you said that something all started at this place. That something happened here. Mind telling me what?"

"I don't want to..."

"Suit yourself... But you know me; I'll find out what you're hiding from me. You and I both know I won't stop until I do!" Lita spoke with much confidence. "I'll be watching you like a hawk."

"Okay..."

"And, Serena."

"Hm...?"

"Everyone's worried about you. It'll probably be best if you just come out and tell us, anyway. I'd say the sooner the better."

"Thanks, Lita..."

"For what?"

"For not being too snoopy... And for not acting like Mina..."

"What'd Mina do?"

"She... was too snoopy... and caught me doing something I shouldn't really do..."

"What'd she catch you doing?"

"I don't want you to know..."

"Why?"

"Because..."

"Because why?"

"Because... I'm not even sure what Mina will think of me... That's why... That's why you can't know..."

"But we're your friends, Serena..."

"All the more reason you guys shouldn't know... Ever..."

"It's really that bad? That you can't even tell the people closest to you?"

"...Yes..."

"Then, shouldn't that make it a reason to tell us? Because it's that bad?"

"If you knew what it was, then you would agree with me... You wouldn't really want to know..."

"If I didn't want to know, then I wouldn't be asking, now would I?"

"It's late..."

"Yeah, you should get some rest. Your eyes are puffy and red."

Serena passed out as soon as Lita got through talking.

"W-What?! Serena?! SERENA?!?!?!" Lita picked Serena up and carried her home and then sat her on her bed. She figured it was because Serena hadn't been sleeping much lately. It was all Lita could do to wait for Serena to wake up.


	6. Chapter 6

-Chapter 6-

_"'Kay! Bye Rei! Bye Lita! Bye Mina! Bye Amy!" Serena said._

_"Bye-bye Serena! See ya around!" all the other girls said back._

_"You, too!" Serena said as she walked off._

_Serena walked and came across a beautiful flowerbed. It was tucked against a wall and on top of the wall, which was about as high as a step, there was a lovely row of large bushes. They were so orderly and neatly planted and trimmed and everything. _

_"Well, aren't you the most pampered bushes in the world!" she smiled. She stopped to observe the proud scene. It looked as though the bushes were saying to her, "Here we are! Look at us! We're so pretty and neat! We've even got little flowers on us! And look below! See the elegant vines growing ever upward? With their own little flowers, too? Those vines are our friends!"_

_'Wow... What a pretty sight!' Serena thought. 'I wonder who takes care of these plants. Too bad I don't have much of a green thumb! Otherwise I bet I could help!'_

_"Do you like those plants?" a man's voice said. "You can have one. I've potted many; you can take it as a gift, free of charge!"_

_"R-Really?! I can have one of these?! Oh, wait, that's right... I'd probably kill 'em, sorry!" Serena answered._

_"I don't think you will."_

_"Huh? Wh-What are you doing?" she said as the man approached her._

_"My! It's not too often we get such beauties around here."_

_Serena blushed and said, "Are you... maybe talking about me?"_

_"Well, there isn't anyone else here... So that must mean I'm talking about you."_

_"I-I've already got a boyfriend, so..."_

_"Oh! Of course! You should have a boyfriend! But, you know, many men are only after one thing, so you have to watch out, okay?"_

_"Darien's not like that! Don't worry about me, though! I'll be just fine!"_

_"Are you sure?"_

_"Of course!"_

'Serena's still sleeping...' Lita thought.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEEEEP! BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEEEEP! BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEEEEP!

Lita's communicator rang, or beeped, "We've got a situation!" Sailor Venus said, it was apparent that she was running from something, or some_one_.

"Where is it? I'll be there in no time!" Lita answered.

The little screen that displayed Sailor Venus said back to her, "It's in the city, _trust_ me, you can't miss it!" CLICK!

'In the city?' she thought. She looked back at Serena. 'But that's not too far from here... S-So that means Serena could get seriously hurt!' Done thinking, Lita flashed out the house and headed for the city.

When she got there, she found a couple of crumbled buildings and a huge monster there that was the culprit behind destroying them. It had a huge, gaping mouth and a long tail with a tufted end. It had feathered wings and it was pure white. There was a small aqua blue jewl on its forehead. It had feathers all over its body and enormous claws. Despite its ferosity, it had an elegant yet powerful look to it and it had a slender figure, which was kind of making it look like a girl. It had a long, graceful neck and stood on four legs. Its eyes were a rich blue and its claws looked a golden color. All in all, it looked very much like a dragon. More importantly, its actions indicated that it was looking for something.

Already ready to fight this creature-dragon-thing, Lita, now transformed into Sailor Jupiter, sprang into action.

"Jupiter!" the other Sailor Scouts shouted when they saw her.

"That's my name; don't wear it out! Now, let's take care of this... uh... dragon?"

"We aren't sure what it is. It's too fast for Sailor Mercury to analyze it."

"Do you know its weakness?"

"If we knew its weakness, we would've already defeated it!"

"Good point..."

"We do know it's clumsy, though!"

"Wait a second! It has wings, which means it flies!"

"So?"

"So maybe thunder is its weakness!"

"Try it out and see, Jupiter."

"Supreme! Thunder! Sparkling White! Crasher!!!"

Nothing...

"It didn't work?! But how?!" Lita said, disheartened.

"That's why we called you! We don't know how to stop it! But if we can't stop it soon..." Mars looked back at the two crumbled buildings.

"Where's Serena? She might be able to help."

"Serena's out cold. There's no way she'll help, anyways."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well... She's not telling me, but there's some reason she's extremely depressed."

"Depressed?!"

"Yeah... Again, I'm not sure why."

The Scouts dodged a few falling rocks and other rubble that the creature threw.

"Well, we _need_ Serena! Fast!"

"I told you! She won't help!"

"Wake her up! It's worth a shot!"

"I'll stay here, meanwhile the one of you who's most tired should go instead. Give yourself a break..."

More falling objects had to be dodged.

"There's no time to pick and choose! Just go!"

"But-"

"Jupiter! We can't afford a break! GO!!!"

Sailor Jupiter was out in a flash.

A rock hit Sailor Mercury on the head and she was out cold.

"Mercury? Mercury?!" Venus snapped her fingers in front of Mercury's face. Nothing. "We just lost Mercury!"

"_Now_ how will we figure out what this thing is?!"

"Beats me; just keep fighting until Jupiter and Serena come back!" she hastily answered.

More stuff was dodged. It was like a very dangerous game of dodgeball except you were getting beaten by a dragon.

The creature-dragon-thing looked over at the unconscious Sailor Mercury and knelt down beside her. Its aqua blue jewl glowed for just an instant. When it was done glowing and it had stopped, the white beast flew off and with a white light, vanished. Sailor Mercury was still unconscious, but was otherwise unharmed.

"I told you, I- Where's the monster?"

"It got away..."

"Where's Serena?"

"Erm... I told you, she won't help. She won't fight, she won't even come out if her room! I couldn't even get her out of bed!"


	7. Chapter 7

-Chapter 7-

**Previously, meaning in Chapter 6,**

_"Huh? Wh-What are you doing?" she said as the man approached her._

* * *

_"I-I've already got a boyfriend, so..."_

_"Oh! Of course! You should have a boyfriend! But, you know, many men are only after one thing, so you have to watch out, okay?"_

* * *

'Serena's still sleeping...' Lita thought.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEEEEP! BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEEEEP! BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEEEEP!

Lita's communicator rang, or beeped, "We've got a situation!" Sailor Venus said, it was apparent that she was running from something, or some_one_.

* * *

The little screen that displayed Sailor Venus said back to her, "It's in the city, _trust_ me, you can't miss it!" CLICK!

* * *

When she got there, she found a couple of crumbled buildings and a huge monster there that was the culprit behind destroying them. It had a huge, gaping mouth and a long tail with a tufted end. It had feathered wings and it was pure white. There was a small aqua blue jewl on its forehead. It had feathers all over its body and enormous claws. Despite its ferosity, it had an elegant yet powerful look to it and it had a slender figure, which was kind of making it look like a girl. It had a long, graceful neck and stood on four legs. Its eyes were a rich blue and its claws looked a golden color. All in all, it looked very much like a dragon. More importantly, its actions indicated that it was looking for something.

* * *

"We aren't sure what it is. It's too fast for Sailor Mercury to analyze it."

"Do you know its weakness?"

"If we knew its weakness, we would've already defeated it!"

* * *

"So maybe thunder is its weakness!"

* * *

"It didn't work?! But how?!" Lita said, disheartened.

"That's why we called you! We don't know how to stop it! But if we can't stop it soon..." Mars looked back at the two crumbled buildings.

"Where's Serena? She might be able to help."

* * *

"Depressed?!"

"Yeah... Again, I'm not sure why."

* * *

"Well, we _need_ Serena! Fast!"

"I told you! She won't help!"

* * *

A rock hit Sailor Mercury on the head and she was out cold.

"Mercury? Mercury?!" Venus snapped her fingers in front of Mercury's face. Nothing. "We just lost Mercury!"

* * *

The creature-dragon-thing looked over at the unconscious Sailor Mercury and knelt down beside her. Its aqua blue jewl glowed for just an instant. When it was done glowing and it had stopped, the white beast flew off and with a white light, vanished. Sailor Mercury was still unconscious, but was otherwise unharmed.

* * *

"It got away..."

* * *

**Now, the continuation...**

_"'Kay! Bye Rei! Bye Lita! Bye Mina! Bye Amy!" Serena said._

_"Bye-bye Serena! See ya around!" all the other girls said back._

_"You, too!" Serena said as she walked off._

_Serena walked and came across a beautiful flowerbed. It was tucked against a wall and on top of the wall, which was about as high as a step, there was a lovely row of large bushes. They were so orderly and neatly planted and trimmed and everything. _

_"Well, aren't you the most pampered bushes in the world!" she smiled. She stopped to observe the proud scene. It looked as though the bushes were saying to her, "Here we are! Look at us! We're so pretty and neat! We've even got little flowers on us! And look below! See the elegant vines growing ever upward? With their own little flowers, too? Those vines are our friends!"_

_'Wow... What a pretty sight!' Serena thought. 'I wonder who takes care of these plants. Too bad I don't have much of a green thumb! Otherwise I bet I could help!'_

_"Do you like those plants?" a man's voice said. "You can have one. I've potted many; you can take it as a gift, free of charge!"_

_"R-Really?! I can have one of these?! Oh, wait, that's right... I'd probably kill 'em, sorry!" Serena answered._

_"I don't think you will."_

_"Huh? Wh-What are you doing?" she said as the man approached her._

_"My! It's not too often we get such beauties around here."_

_Serena blushed and said, "Are you... maybe talking about me?"_

_"Well, there isn't anyone else here... So that must mean I'm talking about you."_

_"I-I've already got a boyfriend, so..."_

_"Oh! Of course! You should have a boyfriend! But, you know, many men are only after one thing, so you have to watch out, okay?"_

_"Darien's not like that! Don't worry about me, though! I'll be just fine!"_

_"Are you sure?"_

_"Of course!"_

Sailor Mercury woke up sweating and panting. 'Wh-What _was_ that?!' she thought.

"Mercury! You're awake! Thank goodness! We were so worried! You don't have a concussion, do you?" Rei said, relieved.

"Guys, I just dreamt the craziest thing!"

"D-Dreamt?" Mina asked, remembering what the monster had done in her sleep.

"Yes. It was about..." Mercury changed back. "...Serena."

"Are you sure, Amy? I mean, dreams can be pretty wierd, but dreaming about _Serena_?"

"Well... I know, but..."

"What was it about?"

"Let's see... It took place the last time I _really_ saw her, back when she was her _real_ self. Serena was saying her goodbyes to all of us, then she saw a flowerbed, then she admired it for a bit, then a man came in and offered her a potted plant, then Serena refused the offer, then the man walked towards her, then he called her beautiful, then Serena said she already had a boyfriend, then the man said that men are only after one thing and Serena said don't worry and the man said for her to be careful and she said she would be careful..." By the time she finished, she was entirely out of breath.

"Uh-huh... I think I see what's going on!"

"You do?"

"Yep! She really _does_ have a concussion!"

"NO! I DON'T!!!"

"Really?"

"But... But I do remember the dream. It was like I was there... Like I was watching the whole thing unfold before my very eyes. I remember having a bad feeling about something the whole time it was going on. As though something big was going to happen and I wouldn't be able to stop it, or I wouldn't be there to stop it, or I wouldn't do anything to stop it. And, I didn't even _know_ what it was!"

"Hang on a sec... Amy. You said Serena said she already had a boyfriend. Did she say _who_ her boyfriend was?" Lita asked.

"Well, yes, actually. She said it was Darien. Why do you want to know?"

"Because Serena told us a lie. And we can use that piece of information as proof! If Serena said she already had Darien as her boyfriend, and this took place right after we all last saw her, then that would mean she couldn't have cheated on Darien! That is, if the dream was right..." Lita answered.

"And...um... You also said there was a man. Who was it?"

"Uh... Well, to be honest, I'm not quite sure. There was no hint. I'd never seen him before. There was no name, either..."

"So, basically, we have little information to go on, right?"

"Yes... I'm sorry I can't tell you more..."

"It's okay, Amy! Really! It is! But a little more information could be of valuable use. That is, if the dream is true..."

"Guys, wait," Amy said.

"What is it?"

"If... You know how you've all been saying the dream is either wrong or right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, just think... It takes place after the last time we all saw her, and it makes sense as to why she'd be sad about the thing none of us know. It was also given to me, supposedly, by the creature we fought. If the dream is true, then do you think the creature knows something about Serena that we don't?"

"W-Well... That's a good question. But if that were answered, I bet there would be more questions to answer. I say this because so far, we've either been mislead, didn't get anywhere in the first place, or answered a question that would only serve to bring up more questions."

"Um..." Mina hesitated.

"What is it?"

"This might sound absurd, but..."

"Yes? Any information or clue will help. So don't hold anything back."

"I-I think we should try to find the dragon."

"WHAT?! WHY?!"

"First off, didn't it seem to be searching for something? It didn't really seem that intent on fighting or destroying things. We were the ones who started the fight, so it's only natural that it would try to defend itself."

"T-That's true..."

"If we find the dragon, but we don't fight it..."

"Go on."

"Deep down we all know that dragon, Serena, and Amy's dream are connected. So if we were to find the dragon and ask it about the dream Amy had, and ask it if it was truly the one who caused her to have that dream, maybe, just maybe, we could find out what's going on with Serena. We might be able to find out several more things as well. Perhaps even all of our unanswered and mislead questions!" Mina suggested.

"W-We _could_ do that... But, Mina, there's the small problem that it most likely can't talk. Otherwise it would've done so when we attacked it."

"But! Don't you agree that it's worth a shot?!"

"I guess so..."


	8. Chapter 8

-Chapter 8-

The creature was atop a mountain. The top of the mountain's name was fitting: Angels' Peak. It also had a nickname called: Heaven's Gate. The lower part of the mountain even had a name, or a nickname: Death's Outlook. This was named so because of the deep, black mist that surrounded it and the shadows that many often saw when they went there. No one had ever made it to Angels' Peak. Those who managed to make it to Mystic Oasis, the middle part of the mountain, usually died of some mysterious reason that no one could figure out. But no skeletons were ever found there, thus giving it the name 'Mystic'. 'Oasis' was the second part of its name because it was rumored far and wide to be one of the most beautiful places anyone could ever hope to see. There were supposedly amazing waterfalls and modest ponds and streams running through the area.

The creature sat on Angels' Peak, overlooking almost the entire city.

"C'mon! We have to go _now_!!!" Lita insisted.

"But... I don't want to go..." Serena replied.

"You don't have a choice! Hurry up and change! You wouldn't want to miss _this_, trust me!"

"B-But..."

"Do it!"

Serena unwillingly changed into Sailor Moon. Then Lita willingly changed into Sailor Jupiter.

"Okay! Guys, we're here!" Lita ran up to the other girls, who were waiting for them, already changed into Sailor Scouts.

"Hey, Serena! Lita!" The girls were cheerful only for Serena's sake. They were actually furious at Lita for being so late. But this was only because they'd been nervous ever since the subject came up. No one ever said that finding a vanishing dragon would be easy... But they had somewhat of hints. The dragon would most likely be hidden in a place that no one could find, so they'd decided on going to Angels' Peak. But, truth be told, they were all scared to go. No one ever made it back allive from that place. No one ever even came back _dead_!

"Let's hurry up and get this over with! None of us even _want_ to go there!"

"Not like we have much of a choice, Rei..."

"Serena, anything you want to tell us before we die?"

"WE WON'T DIE! STOP SCARING EVERYONE!!!"

"It's not my fault! You know the rumors! No one ever comes back! I even have an ancient legend about that place in my temple!"

"Oh, you do, do you?"

"Yes. It states that Angels' Peak is holy grounds! No mortal can trespass there or they shall be slain by the the Being of Peace!"

"The... Being of Peace?"

"Yeah. The Being of Peace never wants to fight, but it's very powerful! In one fell swoop it's said that it can wipe out an entire army!"

"Go on..."

"The Being of Peace has an eternal rival known as the Being of Destruction. The Being of Destruction is said to look just like the Being of Peace, except it's evil and dastardly. It's also said that the Being of Destruction will seek out a single person and burrow into their soul, eventually killing them. But there's a catch. The person's heart has to be pure and untainted by evil. After the selected target dies, the Being of Destruction will reveal itself."

"What does it mean, though?"

"I'm not sure, but it's an age-old prophecy that's been passed down through my family's generations. Everyone is sure that the person will one day come along and suffer his or her fate. Basically, or at least what I think it means, is the Being of Destruction will kill it's target and come to challenge the Being of Peace. But, there is a bit of good news! There are supposedly signs that will identify the Being of Destruction."

"What are the signs?"

"I-I'm not sure... But that's why I don't think we should really go to Angels' Peak! The Being of Peace lives there and guards Heaven's Gate!"

"Heaven's Gate?"

"The mountain itself is said to reach all the way up to Heaven, giving it the name 'Heaven's Gate'."

"What choice do we have, Rei?"

"Well, we have the choice not to go!"

"Rei! This is _serious_! Something is wrong with Serena, our _best friend_, and we know Amy's dream and the dragon and Serena's secret are all connected! Don't you want to find out what?"

"If it means giving up my own life, no, not really."

"For the last time, you WON'T DIE!!! Tell her, Serena!"

Nothing.

"Serena?"

Still nothing.

"W-Where'd she go?"

"_She's_ being smart for once!"

"REI!!!"

"Yeah, I know... Uncalledfor."

"_Very_ uncalledfor!"

"Well, anyways, you mentioned signs of the Being of Destruction. Any hint on what those signs might be?"

"Um... Let me see... Yes! Yes, there is one! The appearance of the chosen person will alter."

"The appearance? Well, that's good! At first I was worried that it might be Serena! Her appearance hasn't changed at all! But, we should probably check ourselves as well..."

"Oh, very funny!" Rei implied sarcastically.


	9. Chapter 9

-Chapter 9-

Meanwhile, Sailor Moon was already back at her home. She'd go with them into the mountain, but they simply couldn't know her secret! They'd think so badly of her! She was sure of it... She stood in front of her mirror and tugged at the back of her skirt just a little bit. A long, graceful, black, feathered tail with a tufted end came out. It swished silently behind her.

'But... Rei said that the Being of Destruction looked exactly like the Being of Peace. So, if this isn't the Being of Destruction, then what is it? I've known about that legend for years. But apparently I didn't know enough... Maybe... Maybe I should tell them.' she thought. 'Maybe it's for the best. After all, Rei seems to know alot about that legend. And I'm starting to think this has something to do with it. But now I'll have to go up into that mountain... What will the Being of Peace think? I don't know what to do anymore... But! They're going to find out sooner or later. I can't hide this forever.' The tail continued to wave elegantly behind her.

She took off her shirt to reveal two huge, black, feathered wings. She was lucky in keeping them secret. It was stressful, though. She had to consistantly keep them pressed very hard to her back. Now, she stretched them out for the first time in a week. 'Ah...'

She opened her mouth to reveal two white, fang-like teeth. They would've made her look like a vampire, if not for the wings and tail. No one really noticed them, though. Good thing for Serena. 'Seriously, what am I turning into?'

'I dunno; I think the tail is kinda cute; and the wings are cool. But do I seriously need the fangs?!' This was all very confusing. She was always happier when she saw her abnormalities. But they weren't normal! Why on earth would she be happy about _this_?! She felt as though she should tell her friends, though. The whole reason they were going up this mountain in the first place was for her own good. It was high time they knew.

Serena cut a hole in her skirt wide enough for her tail to fit through. The fangs... Well, she didn't really know what to do about those. She cut two slits in her shirt so her wings could spread and manuever as she wanted them to. 'Serena, are you positive you want to go through with this plan? Once they know, there's no going back. Yes! I'm sure, I hope, that I want to go through with this!'

She climbed out her window and literally took flight. She eventually came across the mountain where the girls were already entering the forest. "Wait up guys!" she yelled. But to no avail. They couldn't hear her and she didn't know how to land herself. She did know how to crash, though.

CRACKLE! SNAP! CREAK!

Serena crash-landed in a tree. There was black mist everywhere. She had no clue which way was up or down; left or right. She hastily climbed down and rushed to an area where she thought she saw the girls. But when she got there, she found out that it was only a bunch of shadows. Meaning that at least one of the rumors was true. She decided to keep walking straight.

This place scared her so much! Perhaps it was a bad idea to come here after all... No! She'd stay!!! She'd find the girls and tell them before she lost all her nerve!

"G-Guys?! C'mon, now! Don't do this to me! I-I'm not kidding!" she called out.

Nothing... The more she walked, the more discouraged she became.

She came across many shadows and even more things like dead trees and leaves rustling that scared the living daylights out of her. At one point, she even thought she was going to wet herself.

_~*~_

A/N  
And yet another great chapter! Courtesy of, muah! XD So did ya like it? The chapter, I mean. There's still more to come, so enjoy this story while ya still can! XD Is this Serena's real secret? Will she find the Scouts before they get injured? Who is the Being of Peace and the Being of Destruction? Where's Darien? Does he tie into this at all? Or does he not? What is Serena turning into? Is she evil? Is she good? Is she both? Will she get to meet the Being of Peace? Will she get to meet the Being of Destruction? Will she get to meet neither of them? What will Serena's friends think of her secret if they ever find out? Will Serena keepup her courage and tell them, or will she become unnerved by the pressure she's under and shy away from them? Wasn't the previous question long? Why do I keep asking you these questions, anyways? (Cuz I wanna bug you.) XD If any of these questions croosed your mind, READ THE REST!!! XD *does cute evil laugh* Plz read and review, blah blah blah... ^.~ (--- When you see this sign, it means this story is original and I'm its rightful owner.) THAT'S RIGHT, PPLZ! THIS STORY IS COPYRIGHTED!!! (lolz not really! XD)


	10. Chapter 10

-Chapter 10-

Serena had the choice to fly the whole time, but she knew she'd crash-land again if she did.

Eventually, though, she found her friends. And someone else... Tuxedo Mask.

She went up to them all, but lost her nerve and hastened to shove all her abnormalties inside her clothes after she called out to them.

"Oh! Serena!" they all said at once.

"H-Hi, guys... Um... Didn't see anything unusual, did you?" she said, hoping they didn't see her.

"No. Why?"

"Oh! N-No reason!"

"Uh, okay. Are you coming with us?"

"I guess so. I mean, I just happened to be here, so..."

"Whatever."

All six of them went up the mountain. Until they reached the middle of it, known as Mystic Oasis.

"I-It's absolutely beautiful! The rumors are true!" Sailor Mars dreamily said.

"Wow! Look at all the waterfalls!"

"Are you taking in this view, Serena? It's so magical!"

"Yeah. Almost cosmic!"

They all observed the view for awhile but then remembered their mission and the only reason they were here in the first place: to find the Being of Peace.

"We should get going. Though it pains me to leave this place..." Sailor Mercury piped up.

"Yeah... I don't really want to leave, either... It's so peaceful here." Sailor Jupiter agreed.

They went on thier way, although it was extremely hard to leave such a rare, unseen scene. They wanted to be there forever.

They finally came across a rocky and mysterious bluff. Just meters away from Angels' Peak. Aka: Heaven's Gate. Their long journey was almost nearing its end. Or was it...?

When they reached Angels' Peak, there was nothing there.

Serena, though, seemed to be drawn to a cliff at the very top of the mountain.

"Serena? You okay?"

She snapped out of her trance. "Y-Yeah... I guess. It's nothing, really." But even she herself was skeptical. Something was up there. The Being of Peace perhaps?

They proceeded up the mountain even more. But about halfway there, the same dragon appeared before them in a flash of light, just as it'd vanished.

"Hath thou any business in this sacred place?" it telepathically said to all of the Sailor Scouts.

Serena started growling lowly. She didn't even know she was doing it.

"Y-Yes. We've not come here to fight, but we've come to ask you something." Sailor Mercury stated.

"So it is information that thee seek? Hahaha! Dost thou know how many hath come before thee? Far too many to be counted!" it replied.

"B-But... It's about our friend!"

"Too many hath come before thee! You shan't be any exception!" An orb of light blue energy grew in its mouth.

Serena's growling increased.

The dragon let go of its orb, hurling it at the Scouts.

Right before it hit, though, Serena jumped in front of them. In doing so, she succeded in shielding them from any harm. But, the bad news was, her clothes became singed, revealing her secret to her friends.

"S-Serena..." they said.

One of Serena's glossy black wings had also been damaged. It drooped down, as though it was broken.

"W-What... What are you?" Sailor Mars asked.

"I don't know..." was Serena's answer.

"It can't be you..." Lita said.

"Like I said, I don't know."

"Thou hast the courage to sheild them. Thou are noble indeed. But those wings... And that tail... And thoust fangs..." the dragon was even suprised.

"So I'm not what you expected... Sorry to disappoint you." she cockily stated.

A violet orb of energy grew in Serena's mouth, and she released it at the dragon. It hit. Some of the dragon's feathers were singed.

"Is that the best thou have?!"

"S-Serena?"

"You won't hurt my friends! I forbid it!"

"Thou says that thee art thou friends... But shall I reveal to them thou true form?"

"M-My true form?!"

"Indeed! Wouldst thou show them thou true form? Or wouldst thou like my to carry out the deed for thee?

"You can't do it anyways! Only I have that power!"

"Or so thou suspects!" it said. It released a white light from its body and trapped Serena in a white bubble. "Now," it started, "Thou shall wait awhile. Thou true form shall be revealed by then."

"You're completely white... White symbolizes purity, doesn't it? Does that mean...? Are you? The Being of Peace?" Sailor Jupiter piped up.

"I am."

"S-So... You're attacking out friend... But you still say you're the Being of Peace?!" Sailor Mercury analyzed.

"Doest thou know what thy friend _really_ is?"

"What do you mean?! She's innocent! Let her go!"

"Ah! Perfect! Thy friend is ready for showing." it answered, turning to Serena.

The Scouts turned to Serena as well and saw the outline of something big.

The dragon popped the bubble with one of its golden claws.


	11. Chapter 11

-Chapter 11-

Out came Serena. Or... Was it truly Serena? No one really knew. It sure didn't look like Serena, that's for sure!

Instead, a black dragon, exactly like the Being of Peace, except black, came flopping out. It picked itself up and roared.

"I-I'm sorry... That you had to find out this way..." it telepathically said to each of the Sailor Scouts.

"Serena? Is it truly you in there?" Mars asked.

"That is unmistakably thy friend in whom thou call, 'Serena'." the Being of Peace explained. "But, thou should know... Thy friend is dying."

"WHAT?!" everyone said in response.

"Thou see, thy friend is pure of heart. This alone made her a susceptible target for the Being of Destruction to make its home inside her. Thee has noted that thy friend's appearance has changed, hath thee not?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"This is the sign spoken of in the legend thee all have heard, is it not?"

"But that legend also says the Being of Destruction will look exactly like you! And you're white!"

"True... I am the colour of Purity, white, as thou hast called it. But doest thou friend not look like me? The colour of Despair, black, as I believe it is known in thou language, is thou friend's colour. The legend tells of this! The Being of Destruction shall look like me, but it shall be evil! And black is unmistakably the colour of evil. Slowly but steadily, she is dying. There is nothing we can do for her... That is my regret. I could not have prevented thou friend from becoming the target even if I had wanted it to be so."

The Scouts looked over at what would be the last they ever saw of Serena. Or Sailor Moon. Tears stung their eyes.

The black dragon roared again, but this time it was a roar of pain and fear.

"Serena! No! Don't give in! Please!" they shouted to her.

"She has no choice... I regret to say it."

The black dragon rolled on its side, but was still breathing. Although, its breathing was incredibly labored and rough.

"S-Serena... Don't go..."

"It is almost time. The Being of Destruction will emerge very soon. As soon as thy friend dies, he will emerge. Thou may wish to say farewell to her before she goes. But mind thou, this must happen in order to retain peace in this world. I must do battle with the Being of Destruction. She is doing this for a noble cause. Now, thy friend hasn't much time left."

Jupiter went first. "Serena... I'm not sure if you're still in there or not... But... We won't forget you. Ever... And you don't forget us, okay?"

Then Sailor Mars went. "You know, we've called you a whole lot of things, but we regret everything we've ever said... If you can stay with us... Please... Please stay..."

Next in line was Sailor Mercury. " Serena... I may not be good at farewells, but you were always there for us... Even until the very end, you were there... If there were anything I could do for you... Anything at all... I would..."

Sailor Venus decided she was fourth. "Serena... I-If you go... What'll I do? I won't have anyone to make me laugh or to play arcade games with me? And what about the Scouts? Who'll be the leader? And, you were right... Even if you'd told me what was wrong, I wouldn't have understanded... But... Thank you... Serena..."

Then it was Tuxedo Mask. "Serena... You always made everyone happy when they were down... You've made them cheerful and you've always pulled through for them... You care so much about everyone, and before fighting, you tried to help the bad guys learn the joy of being good... Even now, you refused to tell us what was happening to you... Because... You didn't want us to spend your last days worrying about you... You tried to stay cheerful to your last breath... You're way beyond amazing, Serena... We all love you very much, and hope that in the afterlife you make everyone there cheerful, too..."

"T-Thanks... You guys..."

"R-Rei..."

"Y-Yes, Serena?"

"Don't apologize for calling me names... After all, it wouldn't be a normal day without you ragging on me, right? So... For my sake... Have no regrets, unlike me... I should've told you what was wrong, and I didn't... And for that... I'm sorry..."

"Lita?"

"Huh...?"

"I promise... I-I'll never forget you... You made me strong... And you gave me hope when I had none... So, thank you, Lita... Thank you very much..."

"A-Amy?"

"Yes?"

"You're awesome at f-farewells... I think there's one thing you can do for me, though... Have more fun... Get more out of life than you bargained for... And.. It may not be the end just yet... I'm going to destroy the Being of Destruction from the inside... If I can... I'm sorry for not studying... I should've listened... But... I didn't... Thank you, Amy... You were a great friend..."

"M-M-Mina..."

"What?"

"I-I don't have much time left... Lita will be more than happy to play arcade games with you... I just wish we could hang out once more... Tuxedo Mask will be the leader... And, thank you for making me laugh when I was down... You were a true friend..."

"T-Tuxedo Mask?"

"Hm?"

"I love you, too... I love the things you said about me... Normally, I'd be excited, if I weren't in so much pain... All those things you said... They calmed me a bit... And don't worry... In the afterlife... I'll m-make e-everyone... C-Cheerful... A-As... A-A... C-Cherry............" and with those words Serena died. But right after she died, a violet light outlined her dragon-like body.

"It is the Being of Destruction. He is finally here." the Being of Peace observed.

The black dragon that was no longer Serena stood up, perfectly fine, and roared a battle cry.

"As thou wishes." the white dragon simply said.

A battle unfolded and ended when a bursting light flew at the Being of Destruction. The dragon went down like a sack of potatoes.

By the time the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask got to where the dead dragon laid, its body had already disintegrated, leaving behind a dragon's skeleton and a few shreds of skin. The Scouts and Tuxedo Mask, who was now an official Scout, dropped to their knees and bowed their heads in respect for their beloved Serena. Aka: Sailor Moon; Aka: The Best Friend in the Whole Wide World. Aka: ...Dead.

But that night, as they all looked up to the sky, they could've sworn they saw a new star in the heavens. It was the brightest star they'd ever seen. Even now, Serena was trying to be cheerful.


End file.
